John Wayne

Pedro Armendáriz

Harry Carey, Jr.

Ward Bond

Mae Marsh

Mildred Natwick

Jane Darwell

Guy Kibbee

Dorothy Ford

Ben Johnson

Charles Halton

Hank Worden

Jack Pennick

Fred Libby

Michael Dugan

Don Summers

Gertrude Astor

Richard Hageman

Nora Bush

Eva Novak

Charles Soldani

Ruth Clifford

Jack Curtis

Harry Tenbrook

Tex Driscoll

Jack Kenny

Jack Mower

Francis Ford

Cliff Lyons

Amelia Yelda

John Ford

Laurence Stallings

Frank S. Nugent

Merian C. Cooper

Jack Murray

James Basevi

Winton C. Hoch

Joseph Kish

Don L. Cash

Anna Malin

Lowell J. Farrell

Edward O'Fearna

Wingate Smith

Frank Wesselhoff

Joseph I. Kane

D. Pat Kelley

Jack Caffee

Charles P. Boyle

Harvey Gould

Alexander Kahle

Lucien Cailliet

Peter B. Kyne

Robert Nathan

Frank W. Moran

Bryan 'Slim' Hightower

Frank McGrath

Jack Williams

Terry Wilson

Eddie Fitzgerald

Tommy Griffin

D.R.O. Hatswell

Michael Meyers

Ann Peck

Natalie Kalmus

Meta Stern

Pat kelly

Sid Davis

Harry Carey

Stan Jones

Jack Colconda

Western

3 Godfathers

Argosy Pictures

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

United States of America

Español

English

baby

marshal

adoption

promise

outlaw

survival

fugitive

train

prison sentence

bank robbery

birth

desert

hymn

dying

posse

waterhole

arizona territory

newborn baby

desert survival

Sentimental and affecting piece from Ford.

Having already made a version of the story in 1919 as Marked Men with Harry Carey, John Ford clearly had a kink for this delightful redemption parable. Opening with a touching tribute to his friend and mentor Carey, who had sadly passed away the previous year (and who also starred in the 1916 version of The Three Godfathers), it was also the first out and out Ford Western to be made in colour.

The story tells of three outlaws - Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro "Pete" Fuerte (Pedro Armendariz) and The Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Junior) - who after robbing a bank in the town of Welcome, are on the run from the law led posse. After hitting problems in a desert sandstorm, the men struggle on to Terrapin Tanks, where they happen across a woman in labour. Giving birth to her child, but sadly on her death bed, the woman begs the men to take care of her baby. They agree and embark on a perilous journey to get the child safely to "New Jerusalem"...

It's an odd sort of Western, but in a good way. Backed up by the usual high standard of location work from Ford and the irrepressible Winton Hoch. And with customary staunch support work from Ward Bond as the Sheriff, 3 Godfathers is a must see in relation to the careers of John Ford and John Wayne. It has a mixed reputation from fans of the two Johns, which is understandable given the flighty nature of the picture, but one thing that is true about the piece is that once viewed, it's unlikely to be forgotten. 7/10

CinemaSerf

It's interesting that Harry Carey was in the first version of this film made in 1916 and now his son takes on the role as the injured "kid" alongside John Wayne's "Robert" and Pedro Armendàriz as "Pedro". These three are outlaws whose one last hit goes a bit awry. Now with the shrewd sheriff "Buck" (Ward Bond) in hot pursuit, they must try to outwit their pursuers before they run out of water. They do manage to steal a bit of a march and make it to a well, but the only water they discover is coming from the eyes of a heavily pregnant woman (Mildred Natwick) who promptly delivers them a godson. Still no better off, and with an added mouth to satiate, the three must now continue to evade capture and struggle on through the desert. It takes quite a while to get going, this, but once we have the established character dynamic then the story is actually quite a poignant story of loyalty and determination, decency and teamwork. Tragedy strikes on more then one occasion and yes, of course, it's very rarely a real baby being bounced around the terrain, but somehow the actors, Armendáriz in particular, manage to illicit quite a fair degree of sympathy as they trek through the dry and hostile wilderness. The last ten minutes didn't quite work for me, but then I don't suppose John Ford could actually have... The photography is grand and grim - that these men could survive the perils of the landscape at all is a feat all too well illustrated by the bleakness of their surroundings and there is an overall spirit of redemption at the conclusion that does raise a smile. Certainly one of the Duke's more considered efforts and well worth a watch.

3 Godfathers (1948) Official Trailer - John Wayne, Harry Carey Jr. Western Movie HD

3 Godfathers( 1948)

John Ford's Legend of the Southwest!

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A review by John Chard

Written by John Chard on Thu Feb 09 2017

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